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tv   NBC Nightly News  NBC  January 17, 2014 5:30pm-6:01pm PST

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6:00. >> find us online at nbcbayarea.com and on facebook and twitter. on our broadcast tonight, spy rules. big changes are on the way for the government's top secret surveillance program. tonight what it means for phone calls, text messages, and privacy. fueling the fires, a drought emergency declared in california threatening to make a dangerous situation now even worse. olympic controversy. what vladimir putin said today that may have just made things a bit worse. tonight, richard engel is in sochi. and the thrill of victory. the nfl star who is inspiring so many by breaking the sound barrier. "nightly news" begins now. good evening. after huge and widespread leaks of sensitive information exposed
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an equally widespread data mining operation by the nsa, the nation's spy agency in washington, after much deliberation the president today decided to talk about how the operation works and how it should work. while he defended the techniques the government uses to protect its citizens and said there's no evidence of an abuse of power, he is calling for changes. it likely will not be enough for those who say these leaks have been proof that we have traded away our privacy in the electronic age. it's where we begin tonight with our chief foreign affairs correspondent, andrea mitchell. >> reporter: today the president took the short trip from the white house to the justice department to issue new orders for the spy agency. even while saying they've broken no laws. >> there are fewer and fewer technical constraints on what we can do. that places a special obligation on us to ask tough questions about what we should do. >> reporter: mr. obama stoutly defended the mass collection of phone records but said the
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government would no longer store them itself, asking the attorney general to recommend alternatives. he proposed court orders before the records can be accessed. a panel of outside advocates to advise the secret intelligence court, and after an international furor over nsa eavesdropping on german leader angela merkel's cell phone, and other leaders, no eavesdropping on dozens of friendly allies. >> i want to know what they think about an issue, i'll pick up the phone and call them rather than turning to surveillance. >> reporter: the pushback from all sides was immediate. >> i hear him say, you know, if you like your privacy you can keep it, but i also hear him saying they're going to continue to collect your phone records, your text messages, your e-mail, and probably your credit card records. so i don't think anything's changing. >> reporter: while a former nsa director defended the agency. >> we aren't out there hoovering everything in the universe up
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for some purient interest. we aren't out there gathering data to make america more profitable or for commercial enterprises. >> reporter: the vast collection was launched after 9/11 and the president says it is still needed. some of his allies want radical changes. >> you're going propose no longer collecting all of these data? >> i'm going to propose some significant limitations on the collection. i think we've reached the point where we say if we collect everything we're safe, no. if we collect everything, we have nothing. >> reporter: many of these changes require action by a deeply divided congress and will be challenged in court as the nation continues to debate the difficult balance between privacy and national security, a debate inspired by one man really, the revelations of edward snowden. brian? >> andrea mitchell starting us off in our d.c. newsroom tonight. andrea, thanks. now we go out to southern california where fires are still burning and threatening homes outside la. california governor jerry brown has declared a statewide drought
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emergency now because of the very same conditions responsible for the red flag fire warnings there this week. nbc's miguel almaguer is on the fire lines again for us tonight in glendora, california. miguel, good evening. >> reporter: brian, good evening. on another scorching winter day here in southern california, good news. this blaze is at least 30% contained. while five homes have been lost, tonight crews are bracing for another night of the gusty and notorious santa ana winds. this is what the battle looked like for the boots on the ground, cutting a fire line to protect homes. strike teams deployed to snuff out hot spots in tinder dry conditions, with low humidity and high winds. >> this is unreal, really. we haven't seen this in a long time. >> reporter: summer-like conditions. >> summer like conditions, yes. >> reporter: the canyons are funnels for the flames, the brush like gasoline. here on the ground it's literally hand-to-hand combat. the heat from these flames is intense. it's chewing through this bone dry hillside.
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here you've got ground crews trying to keep those flames away from homes just on the other side of this ridge. >> reporter: and it's just down hill where we found 64-year-old tony akino, his neighborhood under evacuation orders. but the retiree refuses to leave. you think if the flames come down that ridge, you'll be able to save your house with your hose? >> yeah. i'm very comfortable that i'll be able to. >> reporter: holdouts are common, even when flames close in on communities, many take a stand. this man, a hose in one hand, a cell phone in the other. >> in this kind of situation it's best you get in your car and go right now especially when you got the sheriffs with loud speakers telling you to evacuate. >> mandatory evacuation, guys. time to go. >> it becomes kind of like a race for your life, basically, at that point. >> reporter: this is why the scramble to safety can mean life or death. it takes only minutes for homes to explode.
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alfonso carreo was hit with aerial drops. amber chung watched her back yard turn into a carpet of flames. this infrared photo from a command helicopter shows the intensity of what firefighters are up against. >> we've got a lot of resources here to get this thing pinned down so we can -- we can get ready for the next one, because there will be a next one. >> reporter: when the governor declared a drought emergency today, it was no surprise for firefighters here on the ground with nearly 2,000 acres already destroyed, they are hoping weather will turn in their favor. brian? >> miguel almaguer in glendora, california for us tonight. miguel, thanks. an awful attack in afghanistan today is being called a massacre, raising new questions about stability in that country. at least 16 people are dead, most of them foreigners, including a british citizen and the imf's representative in afghanistan. the target was a well known restaurant in kabul's embassy district that's popular with westerners and diplomats and journalists and well-to-do locals.
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a suicide bomber blew himself up outside. in the chaos, then two gunmen entered the restaurant at the dinner hour and opened fire. four u.n. civilian personnel are so far unaccounted for. no u.s. casualties reported so far. the taliban has claimed responsibility for this brazen attack. russian president vladimir putin is in sochi tonight, kicking up controversy again just three weeks before the opening ceremony of the winter olympic games. he was there to see the venues, talk about security, but it's what he said about gay people that may have just made the situation a bit worse. our chief foreign correspondent, richard engel is in sochi for us tonight. richard, good evening. >> reporter: good evening, brian. vladimir putin has never been known for his tact. today he said gays coming to sochi won't be harassed, but there are limits, he said, to russia's tolerance. even as workers dig and add finishing touches to sochi,
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vladimir putin moved to defuse the controversy over a russian law banning so-called gay propaganda, promoting homosexuality to minors. "we aren't banning anything", he said, while meeting olympic volunteers. "we aren't rounding up anyone. we have no criminal punishment for such relations. everyone should feel at ease", he said, "but please, leave the children in peace." and that may have made the controversy even worse. but these are putin's games, and putin's rules in his city. sochi isn't the most natural place to host the winter olympics. there was no infrastructure here. it isn't very cold. more palm trees than snow. it's not very far from the most dangerous part of russia. but putin likes sochi. it would be like an american president hosting the olympics in crawford, martha's vineyard, or kennebunkport. putin wants his favorite resort to be safe. today on state tv he told
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russians to show no fear or weakness, because it only emboldens terrorists. 40,000 cops and soldiers have been called in to secure sochi. security is so tight there are cartoons about it in moscow newspapers. one shows putin using the olympic rings as brass knuckles. intercontinental. >> people are worried about security. worried about possible terrorist attacks. they worry about it not being completed. putin goes down to sochi quite regularly to see how things are going and that it's on schedule. they're pushing it at all costs. >> reporter: the games are coming today. putin said they'll be safe and open, by russia's standards. brian? >> richard engel in sochi in russia for us tonight. richard, thanks. a sobering headline came out of the vatican today. we learned that pope benedict defrocked nearly 400 priests in just over a two-year period for molesting children back in 2011-2012.
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it's according to a document obtained by the associated press. it shows a dramatic increase since 170 priests were removed in the years '08 and '09. it is the first time the vatican has revealed details on a specific number of priests removed. if you're looking for a measure of just how much american attitudes on smoking have changed, consider this. this broadcast started out not only sponsored by a brand of cigarettes but named after one. it was the camel news caravan. in the modern era it was renamed ""nbc nightly news"." also in the modern era, we learned a lot about cigarettes and smoking. just today the u.s. surgeon general came out with a new report showing smoking impacts every major organ in the body and has already killed 20 million americans over the past 50 years. this is a call to action to eliminate smoking before it takes its toll on another generation. we get our report tonight from nbc's tom costello.
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>> reporter: the warning from the nation's top doctors today, the dangers associated with smoking are far worse than we ever knew. >> today the annual death toll from smoking is approaching 500,000 per year. enough is enough. >> reporter: it was 50 years ago this month when the surgeon general announced smoking causes lung cancer. >> cigarette smoking is related to a higher death rate in a number of disease categories. >> reporter: since then smoking rates have dropped from 48% of adults in 1964 to 18% now. but today's thousand-page surgeon generals report dramatically expands the list of diseases linked to tobacco use. 13 cancers including bladder, cervical, liver, kidney, head and neck cancers. there's also diabetes, blindness, erectile dysfunction, fertility problems, rheumatoid arthritis, and cleft palates in children. >> i smoked for probably over 20 years. >> reporter: kim knows the
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dangers of smoking, but quitting has proven to be a huge struggle. now she has two teenaged kids. >> i do not want my kids to smoke. i'm hoping that i will quit again and show them a better message. >> reporter: with the smoking rate among teens is on the increase, health experts worry if that rate doesn't come down soon, 1 in 13 children today could eventually die prematurely. >> so today we're calling on all americans to join in a sustained effort to make the next generation a tobacco free generation. >> reporter: the new goal cut the smoking rate from 18 to 10% within ten years, an all-out public about education effort combined with higher cigarette taxes, and ultimately, to make smoking a fad of the past. tom costello, nbc news, bethesda, maryland. still ahead for us on a friday night, the 20-year anniversary of the big one. one of the worst natural disasters in u.s. history. tonight, what has the experts nervous about the next time around.
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and later, the incredible strike caught on camera and the damage that's been done to an iconic landmark.
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there was another mild earthquake in california today, just enough to jolt a ton of people from their beds before dawn. no damage reported. but it also served as a reminder because it happened on the 20-year anniversary of the north ridge earthquake that skilled 60 people, caused billions in damage. tonight the experts are speculating about the next big one. our report tonight from nbc's mike taibbi. >> reporter: the shaking started at 4:31 a.m. and only lasted ten to 20 seconds, but daylight showed the impact from the magnitude 6.7 earthquake. >> this three story parking structure collapsed. >> reporter: one of the highest ever recorded in a north american urban area. >> i couldn't move. i was so scared. >> reporter: the toll from the northridge quake, some 60
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deaths, 9,000 injuries. buildings and freeway bridges crumpled, burst water mains and gas lines unleashing floods and fires at the same time, $25 billion in damages. firefighter ernie oh did they rode that morning to what used to be the northridge meadows apartments. >> a three story collapsed all the way down. >> reporter: 16 first floor residents died here. his rescue of one man was featured in "time" magazine. he worked with other first responders for 36 hours straight. >> it was a big one. we knew it was a big one. >> reporter: but not the big one. what if the epicenter was not under this bedroom community of modest homes and apartments but under the skyline of downtown l.a.? what if it wasn't a quiet north ridge dawn but a red flag day citywide like these have been with gusting santa ana winds? this seismologist, dr. lucy jones, made the rounds leading up to the northridge anniversary by showing this video of the big one and posing the question can you imagine america without l.a.? >> we estimate 1600 fires will
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be started. if we then have a santa ana wind condition we will not be able to keep those fires in control. >> reporter: internet and cell service could be lost for days or longer, the death toll in the thousands. and whether it's a long edge of the san andreas fault that unzips or a smaller, secondary fault as in northridge, ernie ojeda says -- >> it's just a matter of time. >> reporter: here those are not just words. mike taibbi, nbc news, north ridge, california. we are back in a moment with the record-breaking prediction that is getting a lot of attention tonight.
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oklahoma republican senator tom coburn is leaving the senate. he'll depart at the end of this year, two years before his term is due to expire. the senator, who is an obstetrician by training, has been battling a recurrence of prostate cancer. he said his decision to go home was for his family. despite their party differences, senator coburn is known as one of president obama's friends in the u.s. senate.
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for all those north of 50, you remember the feeling. you're watching the mail because everyone's told you it's coming. you think maybe you'll be the exception. and then it arrives. your aarp card. well, guess who got hers today? that would be the first lady. she's turned 50. she tweeted out the photo and in the process tweets her 52-year-old husband, at the same time saying, she was excited to join him in the 50 plus club. for good measure they tweeted out a photo of young michelle as a little girl. there will be a blowout, a private, invitation only dance party, saturday night at the white house. his personal story is still repeated to this day. usually as a metaphor to describe someone who is the last holdout. hiroo onada has died. he was the japanese army officer who stayed hidden on a jungle island in the philippines for 29 years after the end of world war ii because he refused to believe the war was over.
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he returned to japan in 1974 and found his modern country unrecognizable. he had survived on coconuts and bananas. he killed animals and the occasional villager. he returned to japan to a hero's welcome. he always said he was acting on final orders to stand and fight. hiroo onada was 91 years old. well, we don't know what this means, but we can show you an extraordinary photograph of an extraordinary lightning strike at the christ the redeem erstadt you that towers over the city of rio. more than just an outburst of nature, it apparently caused damage. the local newspaper is reporting it cracked part of a thumb on one of the arms of the famed statue. and it's not too early to wonder about the weather for the super bowl this year, considering it's only 16 days away, and especially considering it's being played outdoors in the elements this year in the new jersey meadowlands.
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the long-range prediction just out today, temperatures in the upper 20s, which could make it the coldest super bowl ever. of course, that's subject to change. one thing we can count on, the nearby george washington bridge will be open to vehicular traffic for those wanting to cross the river to the jersey side. when we come back, something you should know about one of the players we'll be watching this weekend.
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finally here tonight, it's conference championship weekend for all of white house are football fans. the patriots visit the broncos. that means manning vs. brady. then the 49ers visit the sea hawks in seattle, which is considered the loudest venue in the nfl. it's so loud you can feel the place shake. you can feel the ground move. for one player on the field, he'll be able to sense that noise, but not hear it. it happens to be a quality that sets him apart. it's also made him a role model. his story tonight from nbc's joe fryer. >> reporter: growing up in seattle will make you a fan of the seahawks. but something else is making these kids a fan of one seahawk in particular, number 40. >> he has hearing aids like me. >> reporter: he is talking about derrick coleman, who recently
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paid a visit to listen & talk, a program for kids with hearing loss. coleman left a big impression on 5-year-old korrigan donaldson. >> what do you want to do when you grow up? >> i want to be a football player. >> reporter: coleman is the first deaf offensive player in the nfl. and as a fullback for the seahawks, just happens to play in a stadium known for earth-shaking cheers that actually measure on the richter scale. >> oh, it's great. i mean, their energy is basically more energy for us, more motivation. >> reporter: can you feel the fans? >> oh, yeah. i can feel it. >> reporter: coleman's hearing aids help on the field, but more than anything, he relies on reading lips. >> it's my job to go out and prove to everybody basically what i'm doing now, that i can do the same thing everybody else can do. >> this is around 2 years old. >> reporter: his mother knows it wasn't easy. growing up kids would tease her son who has been deaf since age 3. >> i would tell him, you know what? god made you like you are for a purpose and a reason and you
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don't let anybody bring you down. >> i was picked on. >> reporter: coleman's story "perseverance" is now featured in a duracell commercial that's gone viral. >> now i'm here with a lot of fans in the nfl cheering me on, and i can hear them all. >> reporter: the ad is empowering hearing impaired kids like josh masters who dreams of playing college basketball. >> we've both been put down and had setbacks just because we're deaf, but beyond that we both kept on pushing. >> reporter: that is why coleman shares his story. >> with 100 kids in there, i just want at least one of them to walk out of there and go okay, i can do this. >> reporter: an inspiring message fans can hear and, most of all, feel. joel fryer, nbc news, seattle. great story to end on. now it's on to the weekend. it's all set. patriots at broncos, 49ers at seattle. that is, for us, our broadcast on a friday night and for this week.
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thank you for being here with us. i'm brian williams. lester holt will be here with you this weekend. we of course hope to see you right back here on monday night. in the meantime, have a great weekend. good night. it is beautiful, but we are going to pay for it in the long run. >> yeah, we may enjoy the weather but no rain meaning we'll hurt in the long haul so the governor is ordering cale ca californians to act more. >> good evening. i'm raj mathai. >> i'm jessica aguirre. cut back 10%, that's the ask of the governor by every californian. brown made the drought decoration today after mounting pressure from lawmakers, farmers and activist to address the
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state's troubles. reservoir and lack of rain leave it parched. we begin with stephanie strong live in the city with what happens now that the drought is official. >> good evening, jessica. what this decoration means, this crowd emergency is launching a series of actions that are slated to prepare us here in california for the absolute worst. actions that the governor says must be taken immediately. >> we are in an unprecedented very serious situation. >> we are in an unprecedented period. >> from the governor to the office of emergency services to cal fire. >> we are in an unprecedented situation. >> those at the top are echoing the same warning asking californians to cut down 20% of their water usage immediately with 2014 on track to being the driest year on record. >> at some point we